As the 21st century continues to present new dilemmas and breakthroughs in the form of technology, Loyola must keep up with the digitalized pace of life.  Large language models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have become increasingly incorporated into school curriculum, and many teachers have accepted its inevitable use in a classroom setting. However, Loyola aims to do more than resign itself to the precipitous growth of technology, and at the beginning of this school year, it unveiled its newest step toward a future coexistent with computers: the Innovation Lab.

In an institution that aims to prepare its students for life beyond high school, the Innovation Lab is a sensible step forward. For all its virtues, Loyola has historically lacked in creative outputs. Hence, the establishment of this center represents a monumental occasion in the school’s history, providing students with an entire hub of creative freedom. Located in Hannon Room 203B, the Innovation Lab offers a wide array of tools for anyone to use, provided they have undergone brief training on each.

Enrique Huerta ‘25, an Innovation Lab leader, explained the simple requirements needed to work in the space: “I think it’s really accessible. You just need to get trained by someone on the team here at the lab, and you can use anything you want.”

Huerta went on to say that, for each tool, about one to two hours of training are required. “You can finish in just one session,” he claimed, “and after that, you have full access to the equipment. Personally, I’m planning on making stickers with the printers there.”

The possibilities are endless. Feel like a laptop sits too low on the desk? Just 3D print a stand for it! Want to make decorations for a club? Use the laser engraver and create a personalized sign! With sewing machines, heat presses, sublimation printers and more at a Cub’s fingertips, there is no lack of resources to create.

William Nolan ‘25 expressed his excitement for the future of the Innovation Lab: “You can do basically anything you want to in there. With the heat presses, we can stop outsourcing things like club T-shirts and just make them ourselves.”

For the Loyola students who feel their life lacks a creative outlet, the Innovation Lab offers an accessible, free, and fun way to craft practically anything one’s imagination can conjure. So get in there and create something!